“We toured the UK twice around the last album and had a great time. We made loads of new friends and we can’t wait to hit some of the same cities and see some familiar faces. We’re really looking forward to seeing how the new stuff goes down live and we’ll be working hard between now and September to make sure each show is completely killer”, says guitarist Ade Mulgrew.

The day before the European release, the Northern-Irish band posted a new video for the track “Beyond The Grey Veil”:

Northern Ireland’s own Celtic warriors of metal, Darkest Era, have recently revealed the artwork and tracklisting for their forthcoming album Severance. The new album is set for release in June via Cruz Del Sur. The album was recorded at Data Recording Studios in Ballyheigue, Ireland and produced by Chris Fielding and Darkest Era. The artwork was created by Costin Chioreanu. Guitarist Ade Mulgrew comments:

We are really pleased with the artwork which totally captures the atmosphere of this album. Costin has a unique style and immediately got what we were looking for. Severance was recorded during what was a pretty stormy time in the band and against the backdrop of some very atmospheric natural scenery in one of the remotest parts of the west of Ireland. I think all that certainly comes across in the music and we are looking forward to finally unleashing it this summer!

The tracklisting for Severance is as follows:

Sorrow’s Boundless Realm
Songs Of Gods And Men
The Serpent And The Shadow
Beyond The Grey Veil
Trapped In The Hourglass
The Scavenger
A Thousand Screaming Souls
Blood, Sand And Stone

Darkest Era will headline North Of The Wall which takes place at The Classic Grand in Glasgow on Saturday 29th March 2014. Also on the bill are Dread Sovereign, Toledo Steel, Bonesaw, Firebrand Super Rock, Amok, Plague Rider, Storm Of Embers, Bacchus Barecus, Norderobring, Nolti Nan Gana Nan Nolta and Disaster Area. For tickets and more info, head to this location.

Cruz Del Sur Music are pleased to announce their recent inking of a deal with former Metal Blade artist Darkest Era. As such, the band will be releasing their next album Severance via Cruz Del Sur Music.

Since their formation in 2005, Darkest Era have progressed their special and original ‘Celtic Heavy Metal’ formula, with epic compositions influenced by the darker side of Irish folklore as well as the classic, double twin-guitar duelling of bands like Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden.

Darkest Era guitarist Ade Mulgrew comments:

We are excited to be working with Cruz Del Sur to finally get this beast uncaged. The label has put out some amazing records in recent years and we feel we are in very good company.

Severance will be released 13th June in Europe and 3rd June in the US digitally and physically (CD/Vinyl).

Darkest Era are also confirmed for a headlining appearance at this year’s North of the Wall Festival in Glasgow, which will take place on 29th March. Further information on the North of the Wall Festival can be found here.

Darkest Era has announced a very special late night performance at Ireland’s biggest metal club night, Dublin’s Club Poison, on Thursday September 20, 2012. The show is as a warm-up for the band’s 16 date European tour with Russian Folk Metal titans Arkona which kicks off at the end of this month.

Darkest Era guitarist Ade Mulgrew said: “This is going to be a really killer show and a great way to warm-up for the tour. We’re doing an Axl Rose and not hitting the stage until well after midnight, by which time the Poison faithful should rearing to go and ready to help us tear the place apart. There’s such a great vibe around Dublin right now about Club Poison and we’re really excited about hitting the place while it’s so hot.”

Darkest Era’s first ever European Tour (supporting Arkona) kicks off in the Czech Republic on September 27, 2012 and will see the band play 16 shows in 10 countries.

Club Poison is Ireland’s Biggest Metal night and takes place every Thursday at Andrew’s Lane Theatre, Dublin 2, between 10pm and 3am. Entry on September 10th is €5 before 11 and €7 after. Check Club Poison’s Facebook page for more info.

Having arrived at the venue a total of 4 hours early, escaping the tedium of normal life, I proceeded to get into a suitably piratey mood for the reason the horde had gathered (well, there were 6 of us at the time, but it grew). Having been backstage to interview Gazz and Elliot, grabbed a beer or two and engaged in all manner of forms of lunacy, I returned to the ever-swelling mass and entered Glasgow’s Garage on a mighty quest for gold, rum and Pirate metallers, self-proclaimed “Useless Drunken Bastards” Alestorm.

Opening the gig were Irish metal warriors Darkest Era, a personal favourite of my own. They thundered through a glorious half hour set, playing mostly from their new album, “The Last Caress of Light,” but “On the Crest of Doom” sneaking in from their “The Journey Through Damnation” EP. Whipping the Glasgow crowd into a frenzy wasn’t difficult with such incredible sings as “Heathen Burial,” “The Morrigan” and the 11 minute wonder of “The Last Caress of Light Before the Dark.” The latter in particular I didn’t expect to see, due to its epic scale, but it was somewhat more than welcome. One of my favourite bands certainly proved that night that they were more than worthy of the awesome reception they got. Get them back here, is all I can say!

Claim The Throne, of an Australian origin, followed. A band that I had not heard much of, until that point, they proved extremely entertaining, with the first use of tambourine at any metal gig I’ve been to. The crowd loved them though; songs like “Set Sail on Ale” resulted in copious amounts of moshing. The appearance of Alestorm’s Gareth Murdock with a beer funnel went down with ecstatic applause, especially when the keyboard player drank the whole thing. While playing. She also got lost crowdsurfing at one point. Safe to say, this is a brilliant band, with a brutal edge and a horde of fans. No doubt they would be welcomed back with reckless abandon as well!

Of course, there was no stopping the onslaught of our Scottish (well, two of them are Scottish) brethren, and to the tune of a dance remix of “Shipwrecked,” Alestorm leapt heartily onto stage. Alestorm are one of those bands that it is desperately important in your life to drop everything to go and see, and without a doubt, it was one of those nights where everything went brilliantly. “Shipwrecked” into “Wenches and Mead” into “Leviathan”… it was relentless, and all the better for it. Of course, one doesn’t just go to see Alestorm for the music, oh no… the in-between song banter literally had me in tears of laughter. When a Glaswegian crowd begins to shout “CHUG CHUG CHUG” at your buckfast-occupied hands, you’d normally do what they say… Chris Bowes dismisses this with “Yer all Dicks!” Getting “A wee bit slow… and homosexual,” they jumped straight into “Nancy the Tavern Wench,” which had the entire crowd swaying like Glaswegians on a Friday night… which, coincidentally, they were. Other highlights included “No Quarter” and it’s brilliant Pirates of The Caribbean theme, which had a massive singalong , the black metal brutality of the epic “Death Throes of the Terrorsquid,” a wall of death and the amount of crowd surfing indicated that the crowd would make incredible seamen… or, at least, were incredibly drunk. They go hand in hand really.

A truly brilliant gig, all in all, and one that had to be experienced… this review in no way does it justice. Get Drunk or Die!

As well as being part of Alestorm’s Useless Drunken Bastards UK tour in February; Celtic metallers Darkest Era have also announced two shows for Ireland. The two dates, both in April, will take place in Dublin and Belfast on the 27th and 28th. Darkest Era will be joined by Irish Doom outfit Mael Mórdha.

For tickets and information please visit Darkest Era’s official website – For ticket details and other information visit http://www.darkestera.com